Don't Bother, Kid [closed]

Not even the evening was safe from the scorching heat that suffocated the daytime. Though the sun was hidden below the mountain line, its effects lingered. ShadowClan's territory was drying. Tanglerose walked along the cracked, light-colored top layer of soil each night, looking for frogs and lizards that would not appear. They had taken refuge elsewhere, in one of the many ponds, puddles, creeks, and deeper marshes that dotted her stomping grounds. She had to feed the elders and before she ate any prey herself. This, Tanglerose decided, was fair enough. Though she had broken this rule once before, she was not keen on doing it again. She was a cat of few reservations, but elders were weary folk. She sympathized with them, even understood them at times. She did not mind breaking her back for cats who had fought long enough to feel their joints ache.

Still, it was difficult to not resent the smell of fresh-kill on their whiskers as she returned to her nest, hungry. She had only caught enough for them, not herself. Prey was scarce, and she felt cheated out of a comfortable Greenleaf. Tanglerose grumbled to no one in particular, trying to distract herself from the rumbling of her stomach. She could only sleep a few moments past sunrise, when she was awoken by nightmares of thin-framed, raggedy cats that looked too much like Shadestrike. As she padded out of the den, out of camp, and out into the rolling territory, she watched the sun like a hawk watched a kit. The churning of hatred burned in her core. This heat wave attacked every clan's resolve. ShadowClan's marshes, WindClan's few streams, and RiverClan's primary source of prey were all receding, cooking under the hot sun. SkyClan, so she had heard, was experiencing a twoleg problem. That left ThunderClan... comfortable under the wide branches and leaves of the forest, gorging themselves on squirrels. Tanglerose's tail flicked as she eyes the place across the thunderpath.

The sound of movement made her twist expectantly. She opened her mouth, ready to coax a cat out of hiding, but was met with a pair of wide, black eyes as a rabbit hopped timidly away from her. A rabbit, on this side of the forest? Tanglerose licked her chops at its sheer size, the bulkiness of the prey suggesting that it was a doe nursing its young in some nearby warren. A meal in two parts. She moved backward and forward, stepping around to jostle her mind into action. Find the warren, or follow the rabbit?

Before she could make a decision, the rabbit was leaping across the thunderpath. Tanglerose gasped, running alongside the acrid trail, searching for the coveted tunnel that would take her across. The flat-faced warrior dove into the hole, crawling through, and coming out on the other side. The bunny wouldn't get very far in the dense ferns and bracken, not with a cat hot on her cotton-tail. Tanglerose moved with uncharacteristic swiftness, her empty stomach an excellent motivator. The rabbit cornered itself among a thornbush, and the warrior dove out to nab it, digging into its neck as it squirmed and kicked. Finally dispatched, the rabbit fell limp, and Tanglerose stopped to catch her breath. The temperature difference between the open marsh and the enclosed forest was significant, though the heat still tugged her pelt and made her pawpads sweat. She would have to find a pond on her way out to take a drink from...

A foreign scent hit her, and she was on her feet in an instant. Tanglerose placed an unsheathed paw over the rabbit's head, hackles raising in both aggression and alarm. With such a tangled, gnarled pelt, covered in burrs from her haphazard romp through ThunderClan's territory, she was surely a sight to behold. She caught a glimpse of russet pelt on a cat only a little smaller than herself. "Where I come from, warriors don't stare," she snarled. Caught trespassing. She didn't care. She wouldnot leave empty handed. "Come out, and look me in the eyes!"

ThunderClan camp had taken on quite a tense atmosphere after Rainstrike's trial. Pinepaw, while still curious about the wayward tabby, couldn't let it linger on his mind long. He wouldn't allow his thoughts to form a rift between himself and ThunderClan; no matter how tempting the outlier was. To deliberately kill a leader? To break the code without even a second thought? The facts were toxic at best, but perhaps that's why he liked them. Rainstrike varied from the usual mundane, and it interested the apprentice more than he'd like to let on. Of course she was in the wrong, and of course he despised what she'd done. But still...

Harefoot; both his father and mentor had been recovering from his injuries via dog for the past few sunrises. Pinepaw made it a duty to visit him when he found free time. However most days the apprentice busied himself with joining hunting patrols in need of an extra member, or spying over training sessions between his denmates. The tom always found something to busy his waking hours, constantly working towards his goal of perfection, and never doubting for a second that he'd get it. It was silly, but Pinepaw wondered of the stories the elders would tell about him one day. He wanted to be memorable enough to cling to their minds like a burr. His thoughts of grandeur and glory followed him out of camp like a cape for his royal aura.

The heat was thick and sticky, yet seemed a far lighter atmosphere than what brewed in ThunderClan camp. Pinepaw was grateful for the shade and the leaves; even more so after he'd learned not all clans could boast such towering trees. The tom had yet to see all the borders, staying well within the territory when he'd tag along with a stray warrior for a spot of hunting. The stories Thrushpaw and Hickorypaw would tell made the tom a little envious that he hadn't seen the river yet, nor the Thunderpath. With a sly smile, the tom decided to change that, veering his path out of camp towards the low lands; where he was told ShadowClan resided. It wasn't in violation of any rules; yet to Pinepaw, it was rebellion enough. Perhaps he'd snag a mouse and view the marshes, anything to avoid further mediocre inner-territory hunting patrols.

The heat only worsened as the trees grew more sparse. Large oaks gave way to modest hazels, branches stretching over ferns and leaf mold, shading them from the sun. Some of the other foliage wasn't so lucky, now brown and scorched by the killer heat. Pinepaw picked his way over a dying bramble bush, ducking under a patch of bracken until he heard a distant rumble. His green eyes widened a little, brow narrowing in thought as he pulled the rest of his body from the foliage. Could that be the Thunderpath? A gray-furred cat cut his line of thought in two, and the apprentice's vision snapped to hers, wondering who in the forest this she-cat could be. Her voice was raspy as she reprimanded him and called him from the bushes. Pinepaw stiffened a growl and sniffed the air with the greenness of an apprentice. Her smell was unlike any other he'd encountered before. Musty and dark. It hit Pinepaw that this cat wasn't of ThunderClan; and was standing on the wrong side of the Thunderpath with a rabbit underfoot.

"You're trespassing, you know." Pinepaw growled, puffing his russet fur up as much as he could, trying to make his lithe apprentice-body look slightly more intimidating. There was a cocky tone to his voice, one that only belong to a cat who knew he was in the right. Both his battle with the dogs and lawful stance only furthered the tom's ego as he took a step forward, determined that he could drive this cat off. "Leave now, before I claw your fur off, code-breaker."

The tom that came from the swath of greenery stank of maple sap and nuttiness, a scent that the ShadowClanner had begun to associate with frustration and second-hand embarrassment. He was scrappy, but wide-built, and for a few moments of silence a sharp yellow leer gazed him over, hunting for something below the surface of his facade. A thick layer of Code-thumping and tommish arrogance was desperately masking his lack of experience. His stance was rehearsed. His speech was one often heard through the eaves of the nursery, as kits played warriors defending their territory. Tanglerose's ear flicked bemusedly, and she let her hackles roll down. Her paw never left the rabbit's head, instead bearing down, her grip tightening against its skull. "Oh, I'm trespassing?" she gasped, eyes wide with feigned surprise. "Tut tut. This heat must be messing with my head. I thought the Thunderpath was a few foxlengths down. Would've never realized."

Sardonic commend achieved, her gaze shrank back into a glare, but not before her eyes rolled lackadaisically around in their sockets. Tanglerose's head turned subtly to the side, changing her angle on the young tom and his determination. "Will all this effort achieve anything? Do you honestly believe your old fool of a leader will care if I do take this rabbit?" she mused. The glint in her eye methodically shifted as she gauged the apprentice's every movement and expression. Her whiskers twitched as she selected her words, letting them dribble from her mind with definite precision. "I mean, really, all Flintstar would have to do is tell him the marsh is drying. Oakstar would be so touched by the plight of his birth clan, he'd fork over a third of your territory while he pardoned me. And he'd be right to. All this tree cover... that connection to the river... it would be any clan's saving grace in this drought. And if I know ThunderClan, if I know their leader, I know they're awfully charitable."

Tanglerose released the rabbit from her grip, a sneer gracing her flat muzzle. She took one last, forlorn look at her kill, before backing away from the tom. "Call me a softie, but I pity you and your pansy leader. I won't put you in that position, tiny tom. Another war might kill the old coot, at this rate," Tanglerose purred, letting a sourness dapple the edges of her words. "Take the stupid rabbit."

And with her last point made clear, she slunk off towards the Thunderpath, ears twisted backward, despondent. She listened to the sound of movement behind her from the tom and her rightfully-earned prey, with terrible rage burning in her stomach. Tanglerose could hardly bear the deception a moment longer. When the last of her tail had disappeared from the small clearing, her head lifted and she pivoted to face the tom again. The warrior's heart drummed loud in her ears, desperate for the prey she had cunningly left behind. The trap was laid. Under the cover of the brushy terrain, she let her agile legs propel her from her temporary hiding spot, diving out at the ThunderClan apprentice with a shriek of a war cry. Her claws and teeth barraged the young tom until she rolled off, eyes darting between the rabbit and her opponent. "This rabbit was tracked from ShadowClan land. It's mine. If you want to keep those pristine ears of yours, turn around and never speak of this! I won't give you another chance to run, kit!"

Tanglerose used Shadowed Ambush. [8 HP] [15 SP]

Tanglerose
40/40 HP
105/120 SP (-15)

Pinepaw
12/20 HP (-8)
80/80 SP

The fur on Pinepaw's hind quarters only grew as the gray she-cat mocked his statement with a coy voice. The apprentice wasn't so naïve, he narrowed his eyes and flashed his teeth in a snarl, annoyed that this cat was teasing him. She'd stolen prey! On ThunderClan's land! Before Pinepaw could spat back something to challenge her tone, the she-cat's voice took a turn. Her yellow eyes shifted into a glare, one that threatened to make Pinepaw flinch. He furrowed his brow and dug his claws into the cracked earth as the warrior now turned her insults to Oakstar. She'd gestured to his softness, exaggerating the tom's willingness to help. Her tone only wormed its way deeper into Pinepaw's throat. He wasn't going to lay down his dignity for Oakstar, no, but he certainly respected ThunderClan's leader. Giving Pinepaw a chance to make an impact on Rainstrike's fate greatly affected how the young apprentice viewed the older tom. Oakstar wasn't some kittypet to be toyed with, nor were his warriors.

Pinepaw opened his maw, now sure that the she-cat before him was one of ShadowClan's spawn. She was terribly crude and offensive, living up to the stories he'd heard from the elders. However the thought didn't diminish Pinepaw's mission to drive her off. If anything, it strengthened it. A growl began to rumble in the young cat's throat as he imagined the tales he'd tell. "Are ShadowClan's words the only weapons they have? Call ThunderClan weak all you want, it won't change the fact that you're on the wrong side of the border."

His taunt seemed to have an effect on the cat, as she spat one last insult before stating that Pinepaw could keep the stolen prey. The tom's eyes widened a little, somewhat shocked that the confrontation resolved itself so easily. Pinepaw chuckled mockingly and his ego grew five sizes. He'd done it! He'd forced this she-cat off of ThunderClan's territory. The tom puffed his chest out and widened his stance, already feeling air-headed, his accomplishments weaving their way into stories to tell Thrushpaw. "You're a smart one, frog-breath! I would've torn you to shreds if you'd fought!" Pinepaw grinned as the gray warrior turned tail and weaved her way back to the Thunderpath. Disbelief still tickled Pinepaw's feet as he padded over to the rabbit, giving it a winning sniff. This was his prey now, won from a ShadowClan warrior!

A sudden rustle of foliage wasn't enough warning for the tom as the she-cat spun back and raced towards him. Pinepaw's green eyes grew wide as she tackled him into the sand, claws battering his face and chest. His mind didn't register the pain, still wading through the shock of battle. He'd been fooled. The warrior threatened to hurt him further if he continued to pursue her. Pinepaw only stared blank-faced as she leapt off of him, crimson blood flashing on her claws. That was his blood. A harsh sting emerged from Pinepaw's hazy state. Pain pulled him back to reality, thick ooze dripping from his ear, sliced in a 'v' down the middle. He'd never taken an injury before, even the dogs a few sunrises ago hadn't managed to touch him. Pinepaw hissed in a mixture of fear and frustration, forcing his limbs to move. He couldn't let the warrior leave, he had to fight. Locking his jaw, Pinepaw yowled and barreled into the she-cat, both of their frames rolling down the shale that led to the Thunderpath. He was lucky to land on top, forcing his claws into the ground as the cat was locked into a hold under him. Pinepaw couldn't summon a clever insult, he only stared at the she-cat's face and panted, breath heaving from his lungs, crimson dripping from his ear.

Pinepaw used Leap-and-Hold on Tanglerose, dealing 6 damage and costing 10 stamina. Tanglerose is pinned for 2 turns.

Pinepaw
HP: 12/20
SP: 70/80 (-10)

Tanglerose
HP: 34/40 (-6)
SP: 105/120

The member 'lemon' has done the following action : Dices roll

---

'Effect Dice' : 4

Tanglerose watched the apprentice acknowledge his injury for only a second, suddenly diving for the rabbit. She was halted by the apprentice's spindly limbs battering her, pulling her along with him as the opponents grappled in the dusty, mucky territory on the thunderpath's edge. She caught glimpses of her prey out of the corner of her eye as they tumbled. ThunderClan was riddled with foxes, raccoons, badgers, and the like. It was easy for predator colonies to take root in so much greenery. Tanglerose's heart thudded as she imagined losing her kill to a mangy smelling grey creature. She twisted and writhed like a snake, glaring in the ThunderClan cat's face, daring him to come a fraction of a whisker closer so she could take a shot at his other ear. That lost look in his eyes was almost kitlike, but her sympathies could only extend so far. She panted, kicking and thrashing one more time. "Congratulations!" she gasped, the back of her head pressing away from the dirt. "You're a real warrior now."

With a final twist, Tanglerose was able to move onto her back. Her slender paws slid against the ground as she tried to hoist herself up from the entanglement the tom had her in. She grunted, trying to force her joints to extend, but ultimately unable to get off the ground. Her teeth slid against one another as she summoned some strength. She began to struggle with new intensity, spitting and bucking like a wild mare, without restraint or inhibition. If he was going to restrain her, she was going to make it difficult for him. "Does it fill your holy heart with virtue to take a meal from starving kits and elders? Do you know how wet a marsh is supposed to be? Look across that border - ancestors, you're a heavy bugger - does that look moist to you?"

Tanglerose is pinned.

Pinning the ShadowClan warrior quickly grew into a chore. Pinepaw imagined that such a thing would've been easy, but the she-cat below him bucked and kicked with the force of LionClan. The apprentice grit his teeth as he struggled to stay on top, the cat rolling to her back to gain traction. She spat taunts and insults, attempting to guilt-trip the tom with sentiments of their barren marsh and starving kits. If Pinepaw's mind had been in a working state, they may have got to him, however all the tom could focus on was the tangled piece of chest fur that billowed on his opponent's pelt. Crimson blood dripped from his ear, staining the fur below. Pinepaw panted hard, maw opened to inhale all the air he could muster with every gasp.

He raised a paw to silence the warrior, wishing to stop her nonsense before it got to him. Pinepaw dared to cast a glance across the Thunderpath, peering over the shrubs to peek at the horizon beyond. A large shiny beast cut through his train of thought, whirring across his vision as its red pelt flashed in the light. It stirred a wind that peeled at the cats' fur, grit and rocks spraying from the black surface of the path, the beast disappearing over the hills beyond. Pinepaw's breath caught in his throat, his aimed attack losing all power as it simply whapped the warrior over her muzzle with less force than a kit. He had heard of monsters before; tales spun from his denmates spoke of their massive size and incredible stench, but seeing one close enough to ruffle his fur stunned Pinepaw so much that his usual self-assuredness faltered. His green eyes tore themselves away from the Thunderpath, stinging with grit and dust that was kicked up by the large beast. They rested on his opponent's face with concern, not for her, but for the past proximity of the red monster.

Pinepaw's Leap and Hold continued, dealing 6 damage.

Pinepaw
HP: 12/20
SP: 70/80

Tanglerose
HP: 28/40 (-6)
SP: 105/120

Tanglerose huffed harshly, her taunting and jesting having little impact on the young tom, who was caught in the heat of the fight. She knew that feeling, to be so enthralled by the moving, biting, twisting menace that threatened your life. It dominated all reason and all logic, and no matter the battle, the need to defend one's very being was incredibly pervasive. Tanglerose was never too naive to forget that the Warrior Code acted, to many cats, as a mere suggestion. ShadowClan's reputation preceded them, and none more poignantly than Tanglerose herself. She fought dirty. The taste of blood in her mouth was a reminder that she was still alive.

And it was with this thought that she hatched her escape plan, hearing the monster's hasty approach seconds before Pinepaw. She watched him falter, thwapping her across the face, and twisted her muzzle out in the dustcloud, aiming for his shoulder. She missed, instead opting to grip the edge of his scruff and yank, tumbling him over towards the thunderpath, on the very edge, between the dry, dead plants and the acrid black-topped path. The burning, tingling, awful stench of a twoleg chariot was sickening, causing Tanglerose to cough. It only made her more angry. She made another pass for the rabbit, her paws barely hitting the ground.

Tanglerose is no longer pinned.

Pinepaw let out a yelp as his body suddenly lurched to one side, careening towards the Thunderpath. The ShadowClan she-cat had grasped his scruff in her mouth, yanking him towards the acrid black path. Pinepaw went to protest, but was quickly cut off as his frame collided with the edge of the Thunderpath, pelt searing with heat from the monster that had passed not but seconds earlier. Scrambling to his paws left the warrior with large amounts of time. She burst from Pinepaw's side and booked it to the rabbit left farther up the hill. The sight finally broke Pinepaw from his fervor, and he sprinted after her, russet tail flying in the breeze.

"That's ThunderClan's prey!" He roared, hooking his claws into her back haunches, pulling her back down to the ground. The rabbit sat only tail-lengths away, and Pinepaw began to wonder how long he could keep this up. His heart thumped harder than it ever had before, and his breath cut into his lungs like fire. He wouldn't let her steal, he couldn't.

Pinepaw used Run-and-Tackle on Tanglerose, dealing 6 damage and costing 10 stamina.

Pinepaw
HP: 12/20
SP: 60/80 (-10)

Tanglerose
HP: 22/40 (-6)
SP: 105/120

Tanglerose reached the rabbit moments before Pinepaw's steps drummed in her ears, and she whirled around with wicked fire, the mouthwatering aroma of rabbit in her nose like blood to a shark. In an instant, she was a feral creature, pelt rising in spikes and teeth bared as she licked her chops. She heard her stomach growl, and it was like a trigger that unsheathed her claws. She met the tom head-on, backing up onto her hind legs and slashing him across the face, sending him sprawling to her left. She hissed a short laugh of victory when he struggled in the fallout of her aggressive attack.

Tanglerose used Rear-Up-To-Slash. [9 HP] [15 SP]

Tanglerose
22/40 HP
90/120 SP (-15)

Pinepaw
3/20 HP (-9)
60/80 SP

Picking up the rabbit, she was relieved to find that it was mostly intact, though a little scuffed in dirt. She would use its scent to seek out the warren, taking the precious morsels, the bunnies, for herself. The doe would make an impressive meal for her clanmates, who would undoubtedly be grateful for such a lucky kill. It would be a sign of good tidings to come, and it would give them hope that their clan would survive this horrible drought without a loved one falling victim to the trap of hunger and thirst. No one would know the struggle she had endured for this meal, and she prayed they did not know. They might not be so grateful if they knew where she found it. The Code would have her relinquish a meal she caught for the good of kittens and weak-limbed elders.

Tanglerose peered down at her enemy. So high and mighty for such a puny frame... the mark of a greedy ThunderClan slob. She looked upon his plump belly with disgust, and with a grumble of distaste and frustration, kicked dirt at his face. She slunk off towards the thunderpath without another word, peering around the bend for the sound of a whirring twoleg beast. Seeing none in sight, she made a mad dash across. As the battle faded into a past moment and her anger transferred into energy, Tanglerose found herself gleefully trotting towards camp. The rabbit swayed in her maw, and she felt proud. She had bested her opponent, and she had reaped the benefits of her victory. In the act of war, she had curated a sense of stability and safety. She had fought well, and thus the pangs of hunger would no longer plague her belly. This was the revelation she had sought. Tanglerose suddenly felt honored by the traits Flintstar had chosen to call attention to at her ceremony. Perception and ferocity; her sword and shield as she made herself a force to be reckoned with, an authority.

Her tail lashed contentedly at the new power she had discovered.